[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 90 (Thursday, May 9, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31315-31317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-11551]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 02098]


Expansion of HIV/AIDS Care Services in Cote d'Ivoire; Notice of 
Availability of Funds

 A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2002 funds for a cooperative agreement 
program for the expansion of HIV/AIDS care services in the Republic of 
Cote d'Ivoire.
    The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to strengthen and 
expand the community response to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV/
AIDS) care services in the ten communities of Abidjan, the capital of 
Cote d'Ivoire, and selected secondary cities throughout the country.

B. Eligible Applicants

    Applications may only be submitted by public and private non-profit 
and for profit-organizations, state and local governments or their bona 
fide agents, that currently conduct HIV/AIDS work in Cote d'Ivoire.
    Applicants must have at least five years experience in HIV/AIDS 
work in Cote d'Ivoire including: Community mobilization for prevention 
of HIV/AIDS and promotion of voluntary counseling and testing; 
successful working relationships with both local and national 
government offices such as the mayors' office and the Ministries of 
Health and AIDS; establishment of support groups for people living with 
AIDS(PLWA); knowledge and understanding of resources available to 
create referral networks for clinical and psycho-social support for 
PLWA and families.

    Note: Title 2 of the United States Code section 1611 states that 
an organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal 
Revenue Code that engages in lobbying activities is not eligible to 
receive Federal funds constituting an award, grant, or loan.

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $200,000 is available in FY 2002 to fund this award. 
It is expected that the average award will begin on or about September 
30, 2002, and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a 
project period of up to three years. Annual funding estimates may 
change.
    Continuation awards within the approved project period will be made 
on the basis of satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports 
and the availability of funds.

1. Use of Funds

    Funds received from this announcement will not be used for the 
purchase of antiretroviral drugs for treatment of established HIV 
infection (with the exception nevirapine in Prevention of Mother to 
Child Transmission (PMTCT) cases and with prior written approval), 
occupational exposures, and non-occupational

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exposures and will not be used for the purchase of machines and 
reagents to conduct the necessary laboratory monitoring for patient 
care.
    Applicants may contract with other organizations under these 
cooperative agreements, however, applicants must perform a substantial 
portion of the activities (including program management, operations and 
delivery of prevention services) for which funds are requested.
    The costs that are generally allowable in grants to domestic 
organizations are likewise allowable to foreign institutions and 
international organizations, with the following exceptions:
    Indirect Costs: With the exception of the American University, 
Beirut, the Gorgas Memorial Institute, and the World Health 
Organization (WHO), indirect costs will not be paid (either directly or 
through a sub-award) to organizations located outside the territorial 
limits of the United States or to international organizations 
regardless of their location.
    All requests for funds, including the budget contained in the 
application, shall be stated in U.S. dollars. Once an award is made, 
the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will not compensate 
foreign grantees for currency exchange fluctuations through the 
issuance of supplemental awards.
    No funds appropriated under this Act shall be used to carry out any 
program of distributing sterile needles or syringes for the hypodermic 
injection of any illegal drug.

D. Program Requirements

    In conducting activities to achieve the purpose of this program, 
the recipient will be responsible for the activities under 1. Recipient 
Activities, and CDC will be responsible for the activities listed under 
2. CDC Activities.
1. Recipient Activities
    a. Collaborate with the Ministry of AIDS (MOA) and the Ministry of 
Health (MOH), regional health departments, and mayoral offices to carry 
out activities.
    b. Train healthcare workers to improve quality of care for PLWHA 
and act as focal points for the development of PLWHA support groups.
    c. Identify and train community facilitators to work with health 
clinics to build support group capacity to provide psycho-social 
support, teach skills building, and income generating activities.
    d. Build capacity of support groups to facilitate community 
responses that include: Raising awareness of HIV/AIDS, Voluntary 
Counseling and Testing (VCT) services, behavior change communication 
for youth, home-based care, nutrition support, resource mobilization, 
and orphan support.
    e. Establish a referral network at community health clinics and 
other care facilities so that people who are HIV positive can be 
referred to the nearest community support groups.
    f. Establish a referral network at VCT centers so HIV positive 
people can be referred to community support groups and care and 
treatment centers.
    g. Prepare a workplan and an annual budget for activities.
2. CDC Activities
    a. Collaborate with the recipient to design and support the 
activities listed above.
    b. Monitor project performance and budget.
    c. Approve the selection of key personnel to be involved in the 
activities performed under this cooperative agreement.

E. Application Content

    Use the information in the Program Requirements, Other 
Requirements, and Evaluation Criteria sections to develop the 
application content. Applications will be evaluated against the 
criteria listed below. Therefore, it is important to lay out your 
program plans accordingly. The narrative should be no more than 25 
doublespaced pages, printed on one side, with one-inch margins, and 
unreduced font. Pages should be numbered and a complete index to the 
application and any appendices must be included.
    The narrative should consist of, at a minimum, a Plan, Objectives, 
Methods, Evaluation and Budget.

F. Application Submission and Deadline

    Submit the original and two copies of PHS FORM 5161-1. Forms are 
available in the application kit and at the following Internet address: 
http://www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo/htm. On or before June 14, 2002 
submit the application to the Technical Information Management Section, 
Procurement and Grants Office, 2920 Brandywine Road, Suite 3000, 
Atlanta, Georgia 30341.
    Deadline:
    Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline if they 
are either:
    Received on or before the deadline date; or
    Sent on or before the deadline date and received in time for 
submission to the independent review group.
    Applications which do not meet the criteria in 1. or 2. above will 
be considered late and will be returned to the applicant.

G. Evaluation Criteria

    Each application will be evaluated individually against the 
following criteria by an independent review group appointed by CDC. 
Applications should consist of: Plan, Objectives, Methods, Evaluation, 
Budget that demonstrate/describe:
    1. Understanding of the problem (20 points)
    Extent to which the applicant demonstrates a clear and concise 
understanding of the nature of the problem described in the Purpose 
section of this announcement. This specifically includes description of 
the public health importance of the planned activities to be undertaken 
and realistic presentation of proposed objectives and projects.
    2. Technical approach (25 points)
    The extent to which the applicant's proposal includes an overall 
design strategy, including measurable time lines, the extent to which 
the proposal addresses regular monitoring and evaluation, and the 
potential effectiveness of the proposed activities in meeting 
objectives.
    3. Ability to carry out the project (20 points)
    The extent to which the applicant documents demonstrated capability 
to achieve the purpose of the project.
    4. Personnel (20 points)
    The extent to which professional personnel involved in this project 
are qualified, including evidence of experience in care and support for 
people living with AIDS, experience mobilizing communities, and 
experience as facilitators for training concerning
    5. Plans for administration and management of projects (15 points)
    Adequacy of the proposed plans for administering the projects.
    6. Budget (Reviewed But Not Scored)
    The extent to which itemized budget for conducting the project, 
along with justification, is reasonable and consistent with stated 
objectives and planned program activities.
    7. Human Subjects (Reviewed But Not Scored)
    The extent to which the application adequately addresses the 
requirements of 45 CFR 46 for the protection of human subjects.

H. Other Requirements

    Provide CDC with the original plus two copies of:
    1. Progress reports (semi-annual); a brief, comprehensive narrative 
progress report should be submitted no later than

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90 days after the end of the budget period. The progress report must 
include the following: (a) A comparison of the actual accomplishments 
to the objectives established; (b) the reasons for slippage if 
established objectives were not met; (c) other pertinent information.
    2. Measures of effectiveness that will demonstrate the 
accomplishment of the various identified objectives of the grant/
cooperative agreement. Measures must be objective/quantitative and must 
measure the intended outcome. These Measures of Effectiveness shall be 
submitted with your application and shall be an element of evaluation.
    3. Financial status report, no more than 90 days after the end of 
the budget period.
    4. Final financial report and performance report, no more than 90 
days after the end of the project period.
    Obtain annual audit of these CDC funds (program-specific audit) by 
a United states based audit firm with international branches and 
current licensure/authority in country, and in accordance with 
International Accounting Standards or equivalent standard(s) approved 
in writing by CDC.
    A fiscal Recipient Capability Assessment may be required with the 
potential awardee, prior or post award, in order to review their 
business management and fiscal capabilities regarding the handling of 
U.S. Federal funds.
    Send all reports to the Grants Management Specialist identified in 
the ``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' section of this 
announcement.
    The following additional requirements are applicable to this 
program. For a complete description of each, see Attachment I of the 
announcement.

AR-1  Human Subjects
AR-4  HIV/AIDS Confidentiality Provisions
AR-5  HIV Program Review Panel Requirements
AR-6  Patient Care
AR-14  Accounting Systems Requirement

I. Authority and Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number

    This program is authorized under section 301(a) and 307 of the 
Public Health Service Act, (42 U.S.C. section 241(a) and 242l), as 
amended and section 317 of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. 247b). The Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance number is 93.947.

J. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    This and other CDC announcements can be found on the CDC home page 
Internet address--http://www.cdc.gov/ Click on ``Funding'' then 
``Grants and Cooperative Agreements.''
    If you have questions after reviewing the contents of all the 
documents, business management technical assistance may be obtained 
from: Dorimar Rosado, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management 
Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop E-15, Atlanta, GA 30333, 
Telephone number: (770) 488-2782, E-Mail: [email protected]
    For program technical assistance, contact: Karen Ryder, MPH, CDC/
HIV 2010 Abidjan Place, Dulles, VA 20189-2010, Telephone: (225)21-25-
41-89, E-Mail address: [email protected]

    Dated: May 4, 2002.
Sandra R. Manning,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Center for Disease Control and 
Prevention.
[FR Doc. 02-11551 Filed 5-8-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P